Electric razor



Aug; 5, 1941.

I A. J. STECKER ELECTRIC RAZOR Filed Oct. 14, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 5, 1941.

A. J. STECKER ELECTRIC RAZOR Filed Oct. 14, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 5, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC RAZOR Alfred J. Stecker, St. one-half to Edwin Petersburg, Fla., assignor of L. Stecker, Detroit, Mich.

Application October 14, 1938, Serial No. 234,923

'7 Claims.

This invention relates, in general, to razors and, in particular, to improvements in razors of the self-reciprocating type.

One of the objects of this invention is to pro- Y novelly constructed and said blade being novelly supported on said head.

Another object is to'improve an electrically noiseless in operation, so as to provide a flexible driven razor so as to render same substantially connection between the driving and driven portions thereof, and So as to permit ready, thorough and safe cleaning of the parts requiring same.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent from a reference to the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which there are two (2) sheets and wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal, horizontal sectional view through the new and improved electric Fig. 2 is a longitudinal, vertical. sectionalview through the razor shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevational head end of the razor in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the lines 4-4 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of the stationary table unit and the roller attached thereto, the clamp for the blade being shown in tilted, inoperative position;

Fig. 6 is a detailed the floating blade support;

Fig. '7 is a top view of the showing in Fig. 6, shown partly in section to illustrate details of its construction and securing means;

Fig. 8 is a partial view, in perspective, of the floating blade support of Figs. 6 and '7;

Fig. 9 is an elevational view of the blade;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along the lines [0-40 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 11 is an elevational view of the razor showing a modified form thereof whereby the view looking toward the' front elevational view 'of head may be readily detached from or assembled to the casing;

Figs. 12 and 13 are views showing a modified form of blade support.

In Figs l and 2 there is shown, generally at iii, an electric razor,-the vibratory mechanism of and for which razor being enclosed within a casing I2. Casing I2 is hollow and of sturdy and non-conductive material, such as hard rubber,

,Bakelite, orthe like, and has formed at one of its ends a lead inlet portion 14 and at the other of its ends a neck portion I6, the periphery of the latter at opposite sides thereof being formed to provide a pair of laterally extending flanges l8.

Except for the openings into casing [2 provided by the lead inlet and neck portions l4 and I6, re-

spectively, said casing'is sealed against entrance thereinto of air and moisture from without.

Within and to the casing I2 between the lead inlet and neck portions l4 and I6, respectively, there is rigidly supported, such as by bolts or rivets 21!, a pair of longitudinally spaced lugs 22 and 24. An inverted T-shaped bracket 26 is rigidly mounted at one 'side thereof to lug 22 by .means of a pair of bolts '28, and an L-shaped bracket 38 is rigidly mounted at one side thereof to lug 24 by means of another pair of similar bolts 28. Supported onto and between brackets 26 and 30 and also by the two pairs of bolts 28 is a U-shaped magnet 32 of any suitable design and construction and affording the necessary magnetic force in the vibratory mechanism of the razor l0. Between the ends of and about the magnet'32 is supported in the ordinary manner .a magnetic coil 34 of any suitable design and construction and affordingthe required magnetic field in the actuation of the vibratory mechanism. Also confined within the casing 12, and having its laminations extending laterally of and in parallelism with the magnet 32 and coil 34, is an armature 36 operable for rendering to the cutting unit of the razor the intended vibrations thereof.

One end of armature 36 is transversely flanged, as at 38, to provide a bearing portion 40 thereat, said bearing portion being rotatively supported upon the side of bracket 26 opposite the side supporting the magnet 32 and about a pivot pin or post 42 stationarily mounted in said side of said bracket. Arranged between the pin or post 42 and the bearing wall of the bearing portion 40 is an annular, flexible, resilient, insulating bushing or bearing 44, said bearing 44 being bonded, cemented or otherwise secured to said post and said wall to eliminate noise and the necessity for lubrication thereat. Pin 01, post 42 and bearing portion 40 are further insulated from each other by means of spaced insulating washers 46, the lower of said washers spacing said bearing portion from the supporting side of the bracket 26. and the upper of said washers spacing said bearing portion from a washer 48 which is employed for engagement with the latter by a transverse stop pin 50 in said pin or post 42 for preventing vertical displacement of the armature 36 from its support 2642.

Still considering the pivotedend 36-40 of the armature 36, which armature is free to oscillate about the axis of the pin or post 42 except for the resilient opposition thereto caused by the insulating hearing or bushing 44, a driving arm 52 is rigidly connected at one of its ends to the forward end of the bearing portion 40 of the armature 36 and extends forwardly therefrom to a point just rearwardly of the flanged periphery of the neck portion I6 of the casing I2. About the free end of arm 52 is fixedly mounted an annular retaining member 54 wherein is disposed and to which is bonded, cemented or otherwise secured an annular, flexible, insulating coupling 56. Coupling 56 in turn receives in free engagement therewith one end of a driving pin 58, the other end thereof extending outwardly of the neck portion I6 of easing I2. It will be seen that the connection between the pin 58 and the arm 52, like the connection between the armature 36 and post 42, is insulated and is flexible and, therefore, noiseless, substantially universal and necessitous of no lubrication. In tight fitting engagement with and about the arm 52, and preferably sealed in any appropriate manner, such as by bonding or cementing, to the rear of the neck portion I6 of and within the casing I2, is a diaphragm 60 which is operable for permitting free movement of said arm yet sealing said casing against entrance of moisture thereinto through said neck portion.

- The free or rear end of armature 36 terminates at a position within the casing I2 between a pair of spaced, flexible, insulated stops 62 and 64, stop 62 being adjustably mounted in a transverse bore 66 provided therefor in the body of L-shaped I bracket 30, and stop 64 being carried in opposed relation to said end of armature 36 on the flanged portion 68 of a bracket 10 adjustably mounted at the rear of bracket 30 by means of set screws 12 passing throu h bracket 10 and threadedly engaging bracket 30, bracket 10 being transversely adjustable with respect to bracket 30 and the rear end of armature 36 by means of a transversely slotted opening 14 in bracket 10 for receiving each of said set screws 12. In assembled position stops 62 and 64 each lie on opposite sides of the free or rear end of armature 36 in spaced relation thereto. stop 64 being ad- .iustably movable toward and from said armature by the adjustable movement of bracket 10 which carries it, and stop 62 being adjustably movable toward and from said armature by means of the inward or outward movement of a set screw I6 threadedly mounted in a threaded portion of the transverse bore 66 in L-shaped bracket 30 and in abutting engagement with said stop 62. The spacing of steps 62 and 64 from the free or rear end of armature 36 may be readily selected for permitting the vibratory power of said armature to be maximum.

For urging the armature 36 to move away from the magnet 32 about the axis of post 42 so as to assure vibratory operation of said armature about said axis, the body of bracket 26 is internally provided with a transverse bore 18 which is at least partially threaded to receive a set screw and a spring 82 in abutting engagement therewith, said set screw being adjustably operable for constraining said spring against said armature, and said spring being operable for holding said armature in normal position away from said magnet. The proper adjustment of the set screw 00, together with the proper adjustments of stops 62 and 64, tend not only to increase the vibratory power of the armature 36 by synchronizing the vibrations of said armature with the alternations of the current used but also to eliminate any noise other than a low and expected hum.

Supported in any suitable position within the casing I2, such as upon the rear leg of the magnet 32, is an insulating terminal post support 84 which is of fibrous or other non-conducting material and which is held in such supported position by means such as rivets or bolts 28 which interconnect the bracket 30 and rear leg of magnet 32. Upon support 84 are mounted in the usual manner the electrical terminal posts 35 to which the leads 88 coming through the inlet portion I4 of the casing I2 from the ordinary alternating current source are connected and from which posts 86 leads 90 are lead to be connected to the coil 34 of the vibratory mechanism of the razor I0. It is apparent that the armature 36, if the current used is the standard type characterized by 60 cycles/second, will pulsate times per second.

The head of razor I0 includes a stationary, planar table member I00 which is substantially rectangular in cross section and rigidly secured to each flange I8 on the neck portion I6 of casing I2 by means of screws or rivets I02 so as to be positioned on said casing symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the razor and normal thereto. Table member I00 is formed centrally thereof with a laterally extending slot I04 for reception therethrough of the driving pin 58 and adapted for permitting lateral movement of said pin therein with respect thereto. A pair of laterally extending, substantially rectangular slots I06 is formed in the table member I00 one on each side of slot I04 and each being substantially equally spaced therefrom. Each end of table member I00 is formed with a downwardly extending, bearing-providing ear I08, a recess I09 (see Figs. 4 and 5) being formed between each ear and the adjacent, lower, forward portion of said table member, and the top of said table member is formed with a pair of coaxially aligned bearing portions IIO, said portions being disposed on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the razor and substantially equally spaced therefrom. The utility of these various elements of which table member I00 is comprised will be subsequently discussed.

Secured to the driving pin 58 for movement therewith is a floating blade-support, generally indicated at II2, adapted for riding back and forth on the forward planar surface of stationary table member I00. Support II2 comprises a main supporting body member II4 (see Figs. 6, '7 and 8) having a forward planar surface for supporting the razor blade (to be later discussed), a rear surface for riding on the forward planar surfaceof the stationary table member I00, a pair of rearwardly extending, rectangular-shaped bosses II 6 spaced and shaped so as to fit snugly as to height within the spaced slots I06 in said table member and so as to fit freely therewithin as to width to provide lateral play between each boss and its slot, and a rearwardly extending flange I I6 at its lower end for preventing soap, shavings, -etc., from passing between members I and H2 and which extends longitudinally of said body member H4 and slightly beyond each side end thereof to fit thereat into the recesses I09 formed between the ears I08 and the adjacent front portions of table member I00. It will be seen that, in addition to the support given to the floating blade support II2 by its rigid connection to the outer end of driving pin 58, which connection is more a driving connection than a means for supporting the support H2, the support H2 is more effectively and positively supported by the reception of the two ends of the flange H8 on the main body member H4 in the recesses I09 formed by and above the ears IIJB on the stationary table member I00. In order to maintain the blade support II2 in supported relationship on and to the stationary table member I00 so as to be selectively removable therefrom, the bosses H6 are each bored to receive a rivet I which is substantially flush with the forward face of body member H4 and which extends through said body member to a position rearwardly of said boss, at which rearward extension said rivet is formed with a combination shoulder and head portion I22. Fitted about the shoulder portion of each rivet I20 between the head portion thereof and said boss there is provided a nut I24 of the wing type, each of said nuts I24 frictionally fitting onto the respective shoulder of said rivet for opposing the accidental turning of the former, and the wings of each of said nuts having a lateral expanse slightly less than the width of the slot I06 into which the nut is to be inserted and greater than the height of said slot so that, when the support H2 is to be supported on the table I05, each of the nuts I24 is turned to a position where its wing portions are horizontal so as to permit their reception into and by its respective slot I06, whereafter said nuts are each given a quarter-turn for permitting the wing portions thereof to lock said support H2 and table I06 together by the resulting cooperation between said wing portions and the portions of said table member adjacently above and below the slots I06 therein. The nuts I24 are so adapted that, when the wing portions thereof are locking the reciprocable blade support H2 and the stationary table support I20 therefor together, there will be little or no friction between said wing portions and said table support to oppose said reciprocation.

The floating blade support II2 also includes a pair of blade retaining members I26 which are preferably cast or otherwise made integral therewith. Members I 26 are disposed at and carried by the opposite lower corners of the main body member H4 of support I I2 and are flush with the plane of the rear surface of said body member so as not to interfere with the relative reciprocatory movement of members I00 and I I4. Each of the members I26 extends upwardly from a position slightly below the lower surface of the flange II8 of member II4 to a position substantially mid-point of the latter, the outer side face of each member I26 being laterally spaced from the adjacent side face of member H4, and the forward face of each member I26 being forwardly spaced from the forward planar surface of member H4. Each member I26 comprises an upper rectangular lug I28 which extends along the forward face of body member H4 in parallelism with the longitudinal centerline of said member I I4, said lugs being in longitudinal alignment. Each member I26 is also provided at its lower end with another lug I30 which extends in parallelism with the lug I28 thereabove to a position just inwardly of the side face of member I I4, lugs I30 being in longitudinal alignment. A recess or notch I32 is provided in each lug I30 at the portion thereof immediately adjacent the forward face of body member II4, said notches being in longitudinal alignment and of comparatively short length so that, when the reciprocating razor blade is supported on the floating blade support H2 in the manner to be described later, only the corners of said blade, which are tightly supported in said notches will lack shaving utility. This is an advantage, however, because the face of the user will not be cut by these corners which are so confined within and covered by said notches. These notches also prevent forward displacement of the lower or cutting end of the blade from the face of member II4, the body itself of each of the members I26 preventing lateral displacement of the blade.

A razor blade I34, see Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 9, is provided for the razor I0 and is adapted for being supported on the reciprocable blade support II2 to reciprocate therewith. Blade I34 has a cutting edge I36 and a pair of longitudinally aligned, rectangular notches I38 one at either side edge of said blade and adapted for cooperation with the upper lugs I28 on members I26 when blade I34 is mounted on support II2, the fit between the notches I38 and lugs I28 being such as to prevent vertical or lateral play therebetween. The length of the cutting edge I36 of the blade I34, which is preferably the same as the length of the blade proper, is such as to permit the corners thereof to reside within the recesses or notches I32 in the lugs I30 of members I26 to be covered and held in place thereby against the forward faceof member II4, the vertical distance between the notches I38 and cutting edge I36 being, of course, appropriate therefor.

For holding the upper end of the mounted blade I34 against the forward surface of member H4 and to prevent its unintentional forward displacement therefrom a spring clamp, generally indicated at I40, is pivotally mounted in the bearing portions II 0 provided therefor in the stationary table member I 00. Clamp I40 comprises a pair of spaced springs I42 each of which is hingedly mounted at one end to one of said bearing portions H0, and to the other ends of which springs is mounted a clamping member I44 which is movable with said springs toward and away from cooperative engagement with the forward face of the upper portion of the blade I34. The strength of the springs I42 is such that, when holding clamping member I44 against blade I34, the reciprocating movement of the latter is not materially obstructed. In Fig. 5 the spring clamp I40 is shown in inoperative position which enables ready replacement or removal of the blade from the razor.

For permitting the user to adjust the razor IE! to obtain either a close or a normal shave, a guide I46 is provided, said guide being disposed below and behind the cutting edge I36 of the blade 34 and extending the length thereof. Guide I46 is provided at either end with a pivot pin I48, said pins being journaled in bearing portions I50 formed in the ears I08 on table member I80, and said pins being axially aligned. though mounted eccentrically in said guide. In the position the guide I46 is shown in Figs. 2 and 10, a normal shave will result. In this position, a spring impressed detent I52 (see Figs. 2 and 10), mounted in each end of guide I46, is locked in a depression I54 formed in the ear I08 radially from the axis of pin I48. Another depression I56 (see Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5) is formed in each ear I68 in spaced relation to depression I54 and at an equal radius from the axis of pin I43 so that, when guide I46 is rotated eccentrical- 1y about the axis of pins I48 away from the position shown in Fig. 2, detents I52 will be disengaged from depressions I54 and become engaged with depressions hit to hold guide I46 in this new position.

In Figs. 12 and 13 a modified form of blade support is shown which may be employed in place of support H2 and clamp Mil. It will be noted that this modified blade support, generally indicated at M2, comprises the flange H3, as does the support H2, but that it lacks the members I26, said members being replaced by a pair of spaced lugs H58 on the blade-carrying face of support ZIZ. It is pointed out that support 2!? is provided with the same means for securing it to the table member M36 as is support H2 and that the former is supported in the same manner as is the latter. It is to be noted also that the modified blade clamp, generally indicated at 246, is integral with the reciprocable support 5232 rather than being pivoted to the stationary table member Hill, the springs M2 bein replaced by spaced arms 242 which are integral with support 242. Further, the clamp I4 3 has been replaced by a roll 244 which is eccentrically mounted between the arms ZdZ so as to have a plurality of positions of varying proximity to the forward surface of support 2I2, or the blade supported thereon. Still further, the blade I35 has been replaced by the modified blade 23d, blade 234 lacking the slots I38 but being formed at each corner of its cutting edge with a shoulder I68 for cooperation with the respective lug I58 on support 252 to prevent downward and lateral displacement of said blade with respect to said support, it being noted that said blade, in assembly, not only cooperates at its lower edge with said lugs but that it also cooperates at its upper edge with the arms 2&2, the blade thereby being securely maintained on the support 2i 2, especially when the roll 2% is in the position shown in Figs. 12 and 13.

In Fig. 11 there is shown a modified form of razor wherein the head and casing are made readily separable. In this form of construction table member Mill is formed on its rear surface with a centrally disposed cylindrical casing It! made integral therewith. Casing Edi is operable for telescopically engaging the reduced end I52 of the rigid neck portion 216 of the razor casing I2, there being a pair of spaced pins i i-t provided on the end 552 of portion 2I5 and which pins are cooperable in the ordinary manner with a pair of equally spaced bayonet slots 55% formed in the casing IEI for locking the members together or for permitting their ready separation.

Although the invention has been described with some detail it is not intended that such description is to be definitive of the limits of the inventive idea. The right is reserved to make such changes in the specification and drawings as will come within the purview of the attached claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a razor having a cutting member and means for reciprocating same across the face of a user, a head for supporting the cutting member, said head comprising a pair of relatively movable plate members arranged in abutting engagement with each other and having parallel lower edges, one of said plate members being operable for supporting the other of said plate members and the latter being operable for removably supporting the cutting member, means for removably connecting said plate members together without interfering with the relative movement therebetween, and a flange formed on and extending along said lower edge of one of said plate members and overlappingly engagin said lower edge of the other of said plate members along the length thereof and in the vicinity of the cutting edge of the cutting member for preventing foreign matter from passing between said plate members and guiding said relative movement of the latter.

2. In a razor, a stationary plate, a movable plate in planar contact with the forward side of said first plate and having its lower edge rearwardly flanged and overlappingly engaging the lower edge of said first plate along the length thereof, a blade carried on said second plate in spaced relation to said first plate and having a cutting edge adjacent said first mentioned lower edge and in parallelism therewith, means cooperable with the outer face of said blade for holding the latter against said second plate, and means operable for unitarily reciprocating said second plate, said blade and said first means relatively to said first plate in the direction of the lengths of said edges.

3. In a razor, a stationary plate, a movable plate in planar contact with the forward side of said first plate and having its lower edge rearwardly flanged and overlappingly engaging the lower edge of said first plate along the length thereof, a blade having a cutting edge and arranged forwardly on said second plate with said cutting edge adjacent and in parallelism with said first mentioned lower edges, and means carried forwardly on said second plate for receiving the two end portions of said cutting edge and leaving expose-d the portion of said cutting edge therebetween.

4. In a razor having a casing and an oscilla ably movable actuator supported thereby, a supporting structure for a blade and comprising, an elongated plate stationarily secured to the casing and having a central aperture through which the actuator projects and to which the latter is freely and relatively movable, a pair of other apertures formed in said plate in lateral spaced relation to and on opposite sides of said central aperture, a second elongated plate fixedly connected to the actuator for movement therewith and disposed forwardly of said first plate, a pair of bosses formed on said second plate in spaced relation to each other similarly as said pair of apertures and extending through the latter, fastening means carried by each of said bosses and cooperable with portions of said first plate externally of said pair of apertures for removably interconnecting said two plates and permitting lengthwise movement of said second plate relatively to said first plate, means formed at oppoings provided therefor in the blade to opposevertical movement of the latter relatively to said second plate, other means formed at said opposite ends of said second plate for being abutted by the blade ends to oppose lengthwise movement of the blade relatively to said second plate, and means carried by and movable with the upper end of said second plate for removably interconnecting the latter and the upper end of the blade to oppose movement of said last mentioned upper end away from said second plate.

5. In a razor having a casing and an oscillatably movable actuator supported thereby, a supporting structure for a blade and comprising, an elongated plate stationarily secured to the casing and having a central aperture through which the actuator projects and to which the latter is freely and relatively movable, a pair of other apertures formed in said plate in lateral spaced relation to and on opposite sides of said central aperture and each having a predetermined length, a second elongated plate fixedly connected to the actuator for movement therewith and disposed forwardly of said first plate, a pair of bosses having lengths in cross section substantially less than said lengths of said pair of apertures and formed on said second plate with a spacing between the centers thereof equal substantially to the spacing between the centers of said pair of apertures and extending through the latter, fastening means carried by each of said bosses and cooperable with portions of said first plate externally of said pair of apertures for removably interconnecting said two plates and permitting lengthwise movement of said second plate relatively to said first plate to the extent of the difference between said lengths of said bosses and said pair of apertures, means 7 formed at opposite ends of said second plate and extending forwardly therefrom for being received in end openings provided therefor in the blade to oppose vertical movement of the latter relatively to said second plate, other means formed at said opposite ends of said second plate for being abutted bythe blade ends to oppose lengthwise movement of the blade relatively to said second plate, and means carried by and movable with the upper end of said second plate for removably interconnecting the latter and the upper end of the blade to oppose movement of said last mentioned upper end away from said second plate.

6. In a razor having a casing and an oscillatably movable actuator supported thereby, a supporting structure for a blade and comprising, an elongated plate stationarily secured to the casing and having a central aperture through which the actuator projects and to which the latter is freely and relatively movable, a pair of other apertures formed in said plate in lateral spaced relation to and on opposite sides of said central aperture, a pair of bearing-forming members carried by the opposite lower corners of said plate and extending therebelow to provide spaces :between the tops of said members and the lower edge of said plate, a second elongated plate fixedly connected to the actuator for movement therewith and disposed forwardly of said first plate, a flange formed along the lower edge of said second plate and operable for being received in said spaces to be supported by said members, a pair of bosses formed on said second plate in spaced relation to each other similarly as said pair of apertures and extending through the latter, fastening means carried by each of said bosses and cooperable with portions of said first plate externally of said pair of apertures for removably interconnecting said two plates and permitting lengthwise movement of said second plate relatively to said first plate, said second plate removably carrying a blade on the forward side thereof for movement therewith, and guide means extending between and supported by said members for guiding the blade during the shaving operation.

'7. In a razor having a casing and an oscillata bly movable actuator supported thereby, a supporting structure for a blade and comprising, an elongated plate stationarily secured to the casing and having a central aperture through which the actuator projects and to which the latter is freely and relatively movable, a pair of other apertures formed in said plate in lateral spaced relation to and on opposite sides of said central aperture and each having a predetermined length, a pair of bearing-forming members carried by the opposite lower corners of said plate and extending therebelow to provide spaces between the tops of said members and the lower edge of said plate, a second elongated plate fixedly connected to the actuator for movement therewith and disposed forwardly of said first plate, a fiange formed along the lower edge of said second plate and operable for being received in said spaces to be supported by said members, a pair of bosses having lengths in cross section substantially less than said lengths of said pair of apertures and formed on said second plate with a spacing between the centers thereof equal substantially to the spacing between the centers of said pair of apertures and extending through the latter, fastening means carried by each of said bosses and cooperable with portions of said first plate externally of said pair of apertures for removably interconnecting said two plates and permitting lengthwise movement of said second plate relatively to said first plate to the extent of the difference between said lengths of said bosses and said pair of apertures, said second plate removably carrying a blade on the forward side thereof for movement therewith, and guide means extending between and supported by said members for guiding the blade during the shaving operation.

ALFRED J. STECKER. 

